Bonds
by JFpaes15
Summary: Ash is left in shambles after a crushing defeat, leading to Greninja's hospitalization. The guilt of being the one responsible for his Pokemon's suffering ate away his heart, and he leaves for the night to think. A decision that leads to a chain of events culminating in Ash and Greninja getting closer than ever


**Ayyy, here I am again, not finishing my god damn stories and writing my second One-Shot, I have no idea why I made this one, but the idea just popped into my head and wouldn't leave until turned it into a story**

 **So yeah, there it is. Have fun, there's not much to say about this without giving spoilers about the story.**

* * *

... beep

... beep

... beep

*sigh*

"Greninja..." Ash sighed to himself quietly, slowly raising his hand and carefully caressing the sleeping, bandaged Greninja laying sideways on the medical bed "I'm sorry..." his fingers continued to gently rub the fabric of the blood soaked bandages, and the smooth skin of his Pokémon "...because of me you got hurt..." his fingers trembled as they neared the ninja Pokémon's head and he slowly rubbed its cheek.

The young trainer let his tears fall freely, where no one could see him in this moment of weakness. He was careless, he knew he couldn't beat Wulfric the moment he laid eyes on the large gym leader, but his pride wouldn't let him turn back and prepare himself better for the fight. Sawyer was there, the kid looked up to Ash like he was a hero, and he couldn't let him down, especially after losing a battle to him.

Sawyer had already defeated Wulfric before beating Ash, and the pallet town trainer wanted to show Sawyer they were still toe to toe even after his defeat, so he challenged the ice type leader knowing full well he wasn't ready to battle him yet. But his pride was in jeopardize, Sawyer had already passed Ash, despite the huge time advantage Ash had over him, he couldn't let his pride get a blow from a kid who had just started his journey, yet was already ahead of him.

And his stupid pride cost his Pokémon. Talonflame and Hawlucha were fine... but Greninja.

She tried to fight beyond what her body could handle, because she didn't want to disappoint her trainer, she knew how important that fight was for Ash. Greninja knew he wasn't in the right state of mind when he challenged Wulfric, and Ash could feel it, but it was already too late before he realized what he had done. Greninja had already paid the price for his actions.

Now she was wounded badly, and it was his fault.

"...stupid..." Ash muttered, pulling his hands off Greninja's soft skin and bailing them "...I'm so stupid..." his voice cracked, the trainer wished he had been the one to get hurt instead "I shouldn't have made you fight, and I did it anyways" he fell back, sitting on a chair he was given to sit on in case he felt tired. He raised his hand and rubbed his hair with it, looking up to the ceiling while the tears kept streaming down his cheeks "And you still kept going just for me" he let his head fall onto the medic table Greninja laid on "I'm so stupid..." he wanted to scream it out loud, he wanted everyone to know how he, Ash Ketchum, was stupid, very, very stupid "You deserve better than me" he sighed to himself, before he looked at the Greninja and felt a smile cropping up on his face.

"You were incredible as always, however" he smiled slightly, again raising his hand to brush his fingers onto Greninja's skin "You fought with all you had, and gave them much more than you could handle" he continued to rub her skin and red bandages with the back of his fingers "I'm so proud of you Greninja" he leaned forward, gently placing his forehead onto Greninja's back and rubbed her waist carefully "You've grown into a strong and beautiful Pokémon" he felt the ninja frog shiver under his touch, and his eyes were crestfallen once more.

"I'm sorry, I must be hurting you" he sighed, more tears threatening to leave the corners of his eyes.

The trainer from pallet town let out a raggedy breath, before sniffing and rubbing the tears of his face. He stood up from his chair "Good night, Greninja" he wished his Pokémon a good night, before he moved out of the room. He entered the cozy, wooden Pokémon Center's waiting lounge, where his friends, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were waiting for him.

What he hadn't noticed, was that Greninja was very much awake the entire time, and heard everything Ash had said.

XXXXXXX

Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were all waiting for Ash to come out of the room Greninja was resting at, hoping to get some news on her state. Serena paced around, trying to distract herself of the accident at the gym that wounded Greninja, and stopping from time to time to rub some heat into her arms. But while Greninja was a source of worry, her biggest source happened to be Ash, after the accident, the young trainer went silent for the rest of the day, and refused to talk to anyone.

Clemont was sitting on one of the sofas, was messing with one of his inventions in an attempt keep his mind off what happened today. It was hard seeing Greninja fall after fighting so hard, it was even harder when she had to get taken to the Pokémon Center in such a hurry, he had never seen Ash's face so desperate and so regretful at the same time, whatever had happened that the inventor didn't know, affected Ash a lot.

Bonnie sat beside her brother, trying to absorb his body heat, it was so cold, she had her winter clothing, while hugging Pikachu, Dedenne and Squishy, and was glued to her brother. Unlike the other two, she couldn't keep her mind from wandering to the fight back at Wulfric's gym and how Greninja ended up getting seriously injured. She had seen Pokémon injured before, but never had she seen one getting injured, it was a sight she wishes to never witness ever again, she just couldn't handle seeing a poor Pokémon getting hurt like that.

When they heard the sound of a door creaking open, their heads snapped directly to the source, and found Ash quietly moving out of the room and into the lounge, before carefully closing the door behind him. Serena moved up to Ash to ask if everything was okay, but he walked right past her, ignoring her question, and picking up a winter coat, and his hat.

"Ash?" Serena asked the trainer who slowly made his way to the door leading to the snowy forest outside.

"I'm going for a walk, Serena" Ash snaked his arms inside each sleeve of the coat before straightening it up "Pikachu, you stay here" he warned his Pokémon, who was about to jump onto his shoulders. Turning to Serena, Ash gives his childhood friend a small smile "I'll be right back, don't worry" he gave placed the hat on his head, before opening the door and making his way out.

Serena could only nod worriedly as the trainer went outside on the dark, it was already very late, past midnight, actually. With a starry, dark blue sky, and a beautiful full moon on the outside shining through the branches of the trees. As beautiful as the night was however, it was also dangerous, god knows what lies in the dark just waiting for the right time to show up. Clemont and Bonnie also had worried expressions on their faces, but they knew Ash needed some time alone to think, and they also knew he could take care of himself if anything happened.

*Blam*

They all jumped at the sound of wood being slammed from the outside. Serena slowly went outside through the same door Ash left, and looked around, before turning her head to where she heard the sound and saw a fist sized mark on the snow covering the wall. She looked at it worriedly, before turning her head back to the forest ahead, where a trail of footsteps disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

"Ash..." she muttered, holding a hand over her heart.

"Serena!" the performer heard Bonnie call out her name in a hurry, the blonde went back inside and looked at the younger blonde, who held an expression of worry on her face.

"What is it, Bonnie?" Serena asked, taking notice that Clemon was not in the lounge anymore, and the door to Greninja's room was opened.

"Greninja's not here!" she warned the performer, whose eyes could only widen in shock, before both of them rushed into the room the frog Pokémon was staying. There was Clemont, inspecting an opened window, upon taking a closer look, Serena noticed that the window's lock was busted open.

"It just keeps getting worse" Serena held her hands together, looking outside, where the snow fell. What was she gonna say to Ash once he showed up?

XXXXXXX

He doesn't know for how long he had been walking around in the forest covered by pristine, white snow. But if he had to guess, he had been out for a good few hours, because when he left it was dark, and it's already morning, with the sun poking out from behind the mountains in the horizon.

The trainer sighs, he continued to trudge through the snow, feet sinking into the fluffy snow with each step, before finding a downed log, and sitting on it to rest for a bit. He leaned forward and plopped his elbows onto his knees, holding his hands together. What's he gonna do next? He thought. He had never gone through a situation like this, he never had found himself doubting his prowess as a trainer before.

But after seeing his Greninja getting wounded so badly in battle, the sight of her falling to the ground, unmoving, with a gash opened on her chest, leaking blood onto the battlefield's floor. Ash shook his head, shivering from the memory, it was still very fresh on his mind, like he was still there, watching his fallen Pokémon.

What if he wasn't fast enough? He thought. What if the Pokémon Center had no way to patch her up? Ash couldn't help but think of all those possibilities that could've very well happened because of his irresponsibility, and it just made him feel all the worst, like his heart got stabbed with a knife. Each time a possibility cropped up, he would feel the imaginary blade piercing him in the chest once again. Even when he knew she was safe and in a stabilized condition, he still feared for what could've happened to Greninja.

"God dammit!" Ash almost yelled as he brought his arm up and slammed his fist down on the log, marking the snow covering the long with a hole the size his fist, just like he had done back in the Pokémon Center.

He leaned forward even more and too the sides of his head within his hands. Could he continue after this? Does Ash have it in himself to keep going forward with Pokémon training in order to achieve his dream, knowing full well there's a chance that what happened to Greninja might happen again?

Every time he thought about Greninja, and the state she was in after the battle, he wanted nothing but hold her close to him, to make sure she was okay, and to assure her that everything was gonna be fine. He remembered Olympia saying that Greninja had chosen Ash as a Froakie because the trainer was the only one who could give her what she had been longing for.

Love.

But after yesterday, he now doubted the psychic's words. If Ash truly loved Greninja, he wouldn't have forced her to fight unprepared, and get her wounded so badly... no... that wasn't right, he loved her, Ash loved Greninja dearly, that's why he couldn't forgive himself for letting that happen to his loved one. It ate him from the inside to know the cause of her pain was his own stupidity.

Ever since Olympia had said those words, Ash and Greninja had started to grow even closer together, especially after she evolved from Frogadier to Greninja, and then they synched together for the first time. He could feel the flaring emotions coming from her when their hearts had become one, and he was sure Greninja was able to feel his just as well.

And the sensation... warm and soothing, he felt at bliss whenever he and Greninja were in sync, and he could feel both himself and her getting closer and closer together. Not even the bond he had with Pikachu, who had been with Ash since the very start, wasn't as strong as the one being built by Ash and Greninja. To him, Greninja wasn't just his Pokémon anymore, she was his equal, someone he held in very high regards...

"And I still let that happen" Ash sighed in disdain, it was never gonna leave his head the image of the injured Greninja "I don't deserve her..." he sniffed, rubbing his nose while more tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

The young trainer continued to sit still on the log, silently thinking to himself how sorry he was for being such a bad trainer. After what felt like hours, he heard someone coming, and raised his head to see Serena running in his direction. As the performer neared him, Ash stood to see whatever she wanted.

"Hahh, hahh, hey Ash" she huffed and puffed, placing a hand over her chest while she tried to control her breathing. The boy barely acknowledge her however, before straightening the hat on his head and giving her a simple hey.

"I was getting worried, you were out for so long" she finally started to breath normally, but Ash still refused eye contact, to which she frowned to.

"C'mon, why are you so gloomy?" she asked, getting near Ash, while he took a step backwards "So what, you lost a match, and Greninja got, hurt, big deal" her words immediately had Ash's eyes hovering in her direction "Greninja is strong, she can handle an injury like that, you shouldn't beat yourself like this for one slip" so that's how she meant it.

He actually wanted to agree to what she said, Greninja is a strong girl, but it was still his fault that she got hurt. It wasn't so simple like when a Pokémon fainted in a battle, what she called a slip, could've very well had a worse ending than just getting hurt. Unconsciously, Ash had clenched his fists as Serena kept trying to make him feel better, it was just making him feel worse.

"I understand you feel ba-

"Shut the hell up Serena!" Ash yelled at Serena, who's breath hitched to a stop after witnessing Ash snap at her "What do you understand, huh? This never happened to you, you don't know how I'm feeling" the trainer raised his hand and slammed his chest "This feeling, this sensation... you don't know how bad it feels to hurt someone you love" he gripped the fabric of his coat, while sending daggers at Serena with his eyes.

It wasn't until he saw Serena about to cry that he realized what he had done, but then it was already too late. Serena, in a fit of anger, started picking up snow in her hands and throwing it at Ash.

"Who are you?" she yelled at him, while slamming Ash's face with snow balls "You're not the Ash I know and look up to" she threw another one at Ash, who covered his face with one arm "The Ash who always has his eyes set on tomorrow and never dwells on the past" she threw yet another snow ball into his gut "The Ash who never lets anything get to him" Serena threw one last ball of snow right into Ash's face, making him fall over the log he had been sitting for the last minutes "You're just a big jerk who happens to look like him!" she screamed and ran away, pissed, and sad, with tears streaming from her eyes.

The fallen Ash just continued to lay on the ground, his eyes widened at the verbal lashing Serena had given him. She was right, she was absolutely right. Ash had thought to himself, it wasn't like him at all to keep thinking of something that already happened, he was a man who had his eyes aimed only forward and nowhere else.

"nnnnnnnnNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRH!" Ash yells to the heavens with all of his might, echoing throughout the entire forest, scaring the local Pokémon to bits "What am I doing?" he grabs his head and rubs his hands all over his hair.

Greninja getting hurt was unfortunate and a lack of responsibility from Ash, something he wholeheartedly admitted. But he shouldn't be thinking about what could've happened if he didn't act in time, that'll only slow him and everyone down. Instead, he should be thankful that she's okay, and think about how he'll prevent it from ever happening again in the future.

The trainer picks up his hat, before standing up and patting the snow off his clothes. He puts the hat where it belongs, before deciding to make his way back to the Pokémon Center. He should apologize Serena for shouting like that at her, it was extremely uncalled for, especially when she was just trying to cheer him up.

"Man, I really am stupid" he sighed, running his hand on the back of his head.

Suddenly, the wind started blowing stronger, Ash stopped to feel the strength of the wind, before he decided that running would be better, and makes a dash following the trails of Serena's footsteps before the wind erased them.

XXXXXXX

"He did whaaa?" Bonnie responded in disbelief at what Serena had just told him.

The performer had just returned from looking for Ash, and when she came empty handed, eyebrows were obviously raised in curiosity, especially when Serena looked like she was ready to rip someone's throat.

"Did he really?" Clemont asked with a little doubt in his mind, he knew Serena didn't lie, but it was really hard to believe Ash of all people was the one behind her rage.

"Yes, yelled at me, when I just wanted to help him" she sat down on her chair, picking up a cup of hot chocolate they had prepared for Ash and Serena when they returned, and taking a sip of it "The jerk" she muttered the final part.

"Don't be like that Serena, you know Ash is very down right now" Bonnie tried to ease the situation.

"That doesn't justify his attitude" she huffed at bonnie, who could only sigh and shrug her shoulders. She looked at her brother, who reciprocated her gesture, they knew the only one who could calm Serena down was Ash.

*BLAM*

The loud noise of wood hitting wood made all three friends jump in surprise, before they looked to the door to see none other than Ash, huffing and puffing in fatigue, trembling from cold, and covered head to toe in snow. He entered the Pokémon Center and closed the door behind him, leaning on it right after.

"Hahhh, hahhh..." he placed his hand on his chest as his breathing slowly got more calm, he looked at his friend, who were staring at him in surprise "Hahh, hi guys" he smiled at them and gave a simple hand wave wave.

"Hey Ash/Hi there" were Clemont's and Bonnies responses to his greeting. He looked different right now, the air of sadness he had the day before wasn't there anymore.

Serena though, didn't even bat an eyelash at the trainer, she just closed her eyes continued to drink her hot chocolate, taking small sips from time to time. Ash noticed Serena's disregard for him, and he could understand completely, he deserved her silence treatment, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't try to make amends. He got off the door he was leaning against, and hanged his coat and hat on the rack next to the door, before he made his way to the sofa Serena was sitting on, and sat down himself right next to her.

"Serena" he calls her, looking at the performer, hoping she would respond to him, but she still didn't move an inch "Serena" Ash calls her out again, and again, no reaction from the girl, Ash frowns lightly, before placing his hand on her shoulder, finally getting a reaction in the form of two eyes widening suddenly.

"Serena" he calls her out softly this time, hoping she would at least look at him, now that her eyes were open. She just turned her eyes slightly in his direction a frown marred on her face, and for Ash, that was enough "Look... I'm sorry for what happened earlier" her eyes widened slightly, before she finally turned her head to the trainer beside her "I was angry, and frustrated, and a lot of things were coursing through my head, but that's no excuse for the way I yelled at you" he looked back at her, his eyes staring right into hers "It was wrong, and I apologize. And I hope you can forgive me for what I did" he took her now empty hands into his, and held them together.

The performer blushed slightly at the trainer's touch, but soon smiled softly "I forgive you" she nods lightly at him, receiving the big smile she loved so much about Ash.

Clemont and Bonnie just looked at the scene in front of them with smiles on their faces, Bonnie having a knowing one as well. Her smile then turned into surprise when she remembered something very important that everyone had forgotten to talk to Ash about.

"Oh my god!" she yells out of a sudden, getting the attention of all the three extra residents in the Pokémon Center.

"W-what is it Bonnie?" Clemont pokes his pinky into his ear, seeing if he had gone deaf right now.

"Greninja's missing!" the young blonde blurts out and finally everyone remembers that Greninja still haven't come back.

"WHAT!?" Ash shouts back in disbelief, jumping from the sofa and kneeling in front of the little girl "What do you mean!?" he grabbed her shoulders lightly.

"Greninja, she escaped from her room right after you had left" she warned the trainer, who's face could only be seen fear.

"Why didn't you warn me?" he turned around and spoke to Serena.

"I was going to, but when you yelled at me, I was so angry, I couldn't think of anything else" she admitted in low volume, not really proud that she forgot something so important because she got angry.

Ash bailed his fists at her response, she thought he was going to get angry at her again.

"God dammit, I'm so stupid!" she heard the trainer yell, before bursting the door open and making a mad dash out of the Center and back into the snowy wilderness.

Without his coat and hat.

"Wait, Ash, it's too dangerous to go out like that" Clemont got to the door and yelled out at Ash, but the trainer was already inside the forest. The winds were so strong that they pushed the young inventor back into the Center.

"Big brother!" Bonnie ran to the side of her fallen brother to see if he was okay.

"I'm okay" he placed brought a hand up to his head and rubbed it slowly "But Ash is out there" he stood up and straightened his glasses.

"What can we do?" Serena quickly came up to them and asked in worry?

"Nothing" Clemont shook his head sadly "With the weather this bad, there's nothing we can do but wait, and hope for the best" he crossed his arms and closed his eyes with a sigh, what a situation they got themselves in. Everything just kept going from bad, to worse, to even worse.

Serena cold only look at the now locked door in worry for Ash.

XXXXXXX

"GRENINJA!" Ash yelled out to the heavens, running through the tall snow and forcing his way through the powerful gusts of freezing wind "GRENINJA!" he yelled one more time, cupping his hands over his mouth to see if it would help him shout even louder.

He huffed in despair and fatigue, quieted down to see if he could hear something shouting back, but nothing was heard "Dammit" the trainer huffed out, before resuming to his search.

Ash regretted coming outside without at least his coat, but his emotions had spoken louder than his common sense. He was freezing over here, the cold was slowing the progress of his search down, if he had done any, and it made it harder to look out for his Greninja. His clothes were full of snow, the edges of his jacket's sleeves were hard from how cold it was, the tip of his fingers were starting to get blue, and his hair was getting white from all the snow gathered in it.

But he had no time to worry over himself, there was someone out here that needed help more than him right now, and that was his partner. Ash steeled himself, and resumed his dash throughout the forest, blasting himself through frozen bushes and branches, he never stopped his search for a single second.

He didn't know for how long he had been searching for Greninja, but hope was always last to die, and pushing against his own limits, he continued to trek his way through the dangerous snow storm in search of his precious Greninja.

The winds suddenly started picking up with a furious gale, toppling Ash over and making him fall on his back. The boy slowly picked himself up from the gelid snow beneath his body, and he stood up, before he continued his search again. Another powerful gust blasted Ash, but this time he braced himself, sinking his feet onto the snow and raising his arms in front of his face, slowly pushing back against the wind.

When the wind stopped, the force Ash had pushed forward made him lose his balance and fall on his knees onto the snow. The tired and freezing trainer could barely continue, the cold was too much for him to keep going, but there was another life more important than his on the line, and he couldn't just sit back and let it be taken away from him.

With a groan from the back of his throat, the trainer stands up staggeringly. Ash huffed in and out heavy breaths, before clenching his fists and yelling at the top of his lungs into the sky.

"GRENINJA!"

He drew out the yell for as long as his breath would let him, until his lungs started to burn and his voice diminish, hoping his partner would somehow hear him over the howling winds of the storm. When he stopped, his head was light, his lungs burned and his throat ached, and still nothing about Greninja.

Ash let himself fall to his knees once again, too tired to keep himself up anymore. He tried to stand up again, but his legs and arms were not obeying him, they fell to his sides, lifeless, while Ash failed to gain control over them. He let himself fall forward, hitting his head against the freezing cold snow, he trembled in cold, rage and sadness.

"D-dammit..." he muttered to himself in anger "Dammit... all" damn his legs, damn his arms, damn his weakness, and damn him in particular for being so stupid. Ash had already closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in anger as he continued to criticize himself.

" _...ninja..._ "

Ash's eyes snapped open at what he heard, it was faint, weak, and lower than the winds whipping beside him, but he could still hear it, he could feel it. Ash forced his unmoving limbs to work once again, if he had to crawl on the ground, he would, as long as he could find Greninja.

She was waiting for him.

Ash crawled up a tree, and used it to pull himself to his two feet. He lost count of how many times he fell and restarted his search, but there he was, trying one more time, he wasn't going stop until his completed his objective, or died trying. Slowly, but steady, Ash walked in a general direction, he didn't know if he was heading in the right way, he was almost sure it was an hallucination, as he heard her voice in his head only, but the feeling that he was in the right track overpowered his common sense.

It wasn't long, until he finally found Greninja, sitting at the base of a tree, almost buried in the snow, trembling with cold, and whimpering in pain. The sight of her relieved Ash so much, he thought he was gonna cry, but with relief, it brought fear to his heart. The trainer felt within himself drive never before experienced, and with a burst of adrenaline powered by his emotions, Ash rushed through the snow, heading toward his partner.

Greninja saw Ash from the corner of her eyes, and couldn't help but let a small smile rise from the corners of her mouth as her trainer desperately ran for her rescue.

"Greninja!" Ash called her out, she smiled softly at him as soon as he kneeled beside her, and Ash couldn't help himself but give her one as well. Her bandages were missing, and her injury was exposed. And when Ash started pushing all the snow burying her from the waist down, he touched her legs and winced back at how unbelievably cold they were.

He had no time to waste, he had to take Greninja to a source of heat immediately. Summoning more of that strength he felt earlier, Ash snaked his arms behind her knees and back, and held her up in his arms, bringing her close to his chest. His arms and legs felt like they were getting roast in a fire, but he ignored the pain and held Greninja even closer.

Greninja laid her head on Ash's chest, and her eyes widened as soon as she felt Ash's erratic heart rate and temperature. His raced faster than hers had ever done, even after the fiercest of battles, and his temperature colder than her own. And only now she noticed he wasn't wearing any cold protective gear.

The frog felt like wanting to cry, he put himself at so much risk just to get her back. She buried her head into Ash's chest, throwing her arms around his shoulders.

Ash rushed through the white forest, ignoring all the warnings his limbs sent to his brain. The storm continued to get worse, he had no time to get back to the center, he had to find shelter somewhere. He ran, and ran, Greninja cuddled on his arms while he looked for a suitable place for them to rest and wait for the storm to end.

Luckily for them, Ash managed to find a cave just to the side of a cliff, it was cold inside there as well, but it was deep enough to stay away from the cold storm, and much better than outside. Ash hurriedly carried Greninja into the cave, and as soon as he set foot into the end of the cave, his legs gave in and he fell on his knees.

He gently set Greninja down on the rocky floor of the cave, and sat right beside her, breathing heavily. Between his heavy and ragged breaths, Ash took the time to look at the Greninja beside him, and how lucky he was to find her in time. He could help but let out a short laugh.

"I finally found you, Greninja" he called out his Pokémon, who was already eying him before he started speaking "You have no idea how worried I was" the Greninja looked down at her legs in shame, if she stayed in her bed, this wouldn't happen.

"I'm so happy" he smiled gently "To find you well" he looked at her with a warm smile he would always save just for her "I thought I was going to lose you"

The Greninja just continued to look down, not daring to stare back into her trainer's eyes. Ash smiled sadly at her gesture, he had an idea of how she was feeling at the moment, after all, he had just gone through the same problem the day before.

After Ash had left his room, and she heard him going outside, she went out as well, and busting open the lock that kept the window tightly shut, she slipped out. It was night, and it was cold, Greninja wanted to keep an eye for her trainer, she wanted to be there for him, just like he had always being there for her when she needed. He was so devastated, Greninja didn't want him to be all alone, she wanted to comfort him, to help him sort his thoughts, and to prevent the boy from getting more depressed.

But her wounds kept her from following too closely, always stopping to take a breath and ease the pain on her chest. And without realizing, she had lost Ash.

When the storm kicked in, she believed Ash was still on the forest, and at the sound of his loud yell, she thought he was in danger as well. So in search of her trainer she went, and nothing to find she had, the frog got where she heard the yell, but there was nothing to find. There were no marks left either, the storm had already covered them before Greninja could find any.

She stayed in the forest, even hurt, to look out for her trainer, and in the end it was him who had to put himself in severe danger to keep her from it, Greninja just couldn't find it in herself to look at Ash, too ashamed of what she had done. She didn't even know how Ash managed to find her, she had no strength to even talk let alone yell back when she heard him shout her name several times, all she could think was about how much she wanted to see Ash at that moment.

She couldn't even properly describe the moment she saw Ash coming for her, it was like a miracle in her mind. Seeing her trainer risking himself like that, just for her and her alone, it send chills down her spine even now, it filled Greninja with joy to know Ash would go to such lengths just for her. And when he tightly held her close then? The way he held her in his arms, she could feel how relieved he was to see her, how he wasn't going to let go of her even if his life depended on it, it made her feel loved.

The love Greninja always searched for, since when she was just a little Froakie. Love no other trainer other than Ash had given her.

And that's why it made it all the worse for her to know she was the cause of all this trouble. She left the Center in secret, she got herself hurt even further, and she got her beloved trainer hurt as well.

She couldn't believe how stupid she was, Ash had berated himself, but she was the stupid one.

From the corner of her eyes, Greninja sees the boy stand up staggeringly, and with her eyes widened, she tries to get him to sit down, but with her legs too cold to move, her efforts were for naught. What was he doing? She thought, why he was going back outside? Why was he doing that? She couldn't bear that, what if he got hurt even further? Why did she had to leave that damn Center?

Greninja shook her head and held her face with her webbed hands, she was over thinking it, Ash just went outside, probably for a bit. But still, she couldn't help but fear, Ash wasn't in the best of conditions, if anything he was worse for wear than she was. Greninja is a Pokémon, she can take punishment, but for a human like Ash, this sort of weather is life threatening. Greninja sunk her head even further after this little revelation, she really screwed it up, didn't she?

After a few painstakingly long minutes later, Ash returned to the cave, carrying sticks, branches, and foliage in his arms. He falls back on the floor beside her, and sets them neatly in a campfire, and with a flint he carried with himself, he lit up a fire for them.

"Haaa, much better" Ash sighed in pleasure as he felt the heat of the fire start spreading out.

After seeing him okay, the Greninja let out a relieved sigh she didn't know she was holding, and sat closer to the fire, to get her legs heated up. The both of them sat in front of the fire in silence, not uttering a single word, just taking their time to rest and get themselves warm after everything they had to go through.

Greninja's recovery was going along well, being a Pokémon, she had the resistance and body to handle this type of stress faster than humans. But as she looked back to her trainer, he eyes widened slightly when she saw that Ash wasn't as in the same shoes, he was still freezing, and she could feel it from her position.

Without giving a second though, Greninja sat back beside Ash, who looked at her wondering why she left the fire's side, and surprised her trainer when she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Ash's eyes widened at the sudden act of affection of his Pokémon, but he soon noticed himself getting warmer.

She's warming me up, Ash thought, and smiled softly at the water starter, but she too was cold, and he wouldn't let her warm him without getting any heat back. The young trainer surprised his Pokémon when he picked her up and moved her onto his lap, letting him hug her back as well.

Soon, both found themselves at peace in each other arms, sharing warmth in this moment of silence. Greninja plopped her head onto Ash's shoulders, arms tied around his neck, and closed her eyes at the steadying rhythm of his heart beats, relaxing in her trainer's arms, the arms he used to carry her all the way into the cave, the Pokémon found herself pushing harder against her trainer's chest as her embrace got tighter.

...

"I'm sorry, Greninja" Ash was the first to interrupt the peaceful silence, making the frog Pokémon open her eyes open slowly to hear what he was going to say "You got hurt because of me" he apologized, obviously talking about the battle the day before with Wulfric.

Greninja just growled her name softly, trying to say it is okay.

"But it was my fault" he shook his head, running his hand up and down on Greninja's back soothingly "When I saw you on the ground, hurt and bleeding, I thought I was gonna lose you" his embrace around her got tighter, and in response, she tightened her own and rubbed her cheek against his.

"I couldn't forgive myself back then, how could I? Because of my actions I had injured someone very important to me" there it was again, that feeling of joy whenever Ash would mention how special she was. Greninja just gripped the fabric on his shirt and sunk her head deeper into his neck.

"And then it happened again today" the Greninja's eyes looked down a little "My friends warned me you had gone out when they weren't looking, and hadn't returned" his hands began to rub her back once again "I did the stupidest thing and went out on the storm without my coat" the trainer laughed a bit at his own incompetence under pressure, which gained a frown from the frog.

"I couldn't bear the thought to be separated from you" he admitted to the frog, whose eyes widened slightly at his words "The only thing floating in my head was how much I wanted you back by my side" and widen more her eyes did, turning her head slightly to the side to see her trainer also looking at her "You're very special to me Greninja, I don't ever want you to leave me" when he said those words, the frog felt like butterflies were flying in her stomach, for some reason she felt so happy at the mention of being special.

"Wanna know why?" Ash parted with her a little, and looked at her in the eyes, receiving a nod in response.

"Because when I'm with you, I get light in the head, and my senses get messy" he touched foreheads with her, rubbing his skin against her own.

"My vision gets blurry" he brings one arm behind her head and gently caress her.

"My touch gets sensitive" the other is raised to the base of her neck, where he rubs her softly, eliciting a shiver from the female.

"My sense of smell feel foreign aromas" unconsciously, Ash started to gently push her down.

"My hearing shuts out everything except you" Greninja felt her back slowly connect with the rocky floor of the cave, with Ash just a few inches above her.

"And my taste is refined for only one flavor, you" Ash's hands slowly moved from their places and found themselves holding Greninja's own within their soft grips.

"When I'm with you, I feel all these emotions I never experienced before, emotions I can't get enough of by how great they are" the boy's flushed face held a pair of glassy looking eyes that stared right into Greninja's own.

"This special bond we share-" Their hot breaths collided with one another as they shivered in ecstasy, their faces grew closer and closer.

"- I don't want it to end" the female Pokémon slowly took her tongue back into her mouth.

And Ash took her lips.

With a swift movement after she had recollected her tongue, Ash kissed Greninja. After the initial shock, the female slowly relaxed and kissed him back. It was sloppy and inexperienced, but it burned hot with the passion they had for each other.

One of Ash's hands caressed Greninja's arm, sending shivers down her spine, shivers that got stronger as she arced slightly upwards the more his fingers traced down her arm and onto her slim chest, waist, and ample hips, where it stayed. The Pokémon didn't waste time in getting her now free arm onto Ash's back and gripping tightly the fabric of his jacket.

Ash parted lips with Greninja, who seemed a bit disappointed, but he soon started trace small kisses down her mouth, her soft jaw line, and down her slender neck. The female Greninja found her breathing getting more erratic and her strong arms pulling her beloved trainer closer to her body, as he started licking the base of her neck.

Ash didn't know what led him to do it, if it was instinct, or something else, but he licked the soft, slightly sweaty skin of her neck, eliciting numerous reactions out of Greninja as she squirmed under his touch. The salty taste in her soft skin was like a drug, he wanted to lick and kiss her all over, it did nothing but encourage Ash to continue his assault.

Puffs of hot air were breathed out by Greninja onto Ash's own neck, as he continues to lick the base of her neck and jaw line, while tracing his hand from her hips, to her thighs, giving her small squeezes all the way there. She could not hold it any longer, and soon moans started to come from her parted lips, getting louder and higher pitched, the better if felt.

Ash moved from the base of her neck to her collarbone, taking one long lick from the base of her collar, to the edge of her chin, where he captured her lips once again. Greninja moaned in his mouth as she kissed him back with fervor, he parted his lips, and licked her own, telling his partner to part hers too. As soon as she complied, the trainer found his way exploring her mouth with his tongue, tasting her lips from the inside.

While exploring the insides of his mouth, his hands explored the rest of her body. With not just one, but two this time, Ash used his fingers to feel every nook and cranny of her body he could find. His fingers traced her abdomen, pressing softly to feel the strong muscles beneath the skin. The Greninja moaned in his in pleasure, her powerful legs coiling around the trainer's waist when she pulled him closer one more time.

Next, they found their way up to her chest, he felt, pressed and rubbed his fingers against the pair of small lumps under her skin, unnoticeable by the naked eye, eliciting an even greater reactions from before. Ash's hands snaked around her arms, waist and legs, no place was left untouched.

But there was one area Ash was a bit hesitant to caress, and for good reason, the open cut on the side of her chest was still fresh from the day before. He couldn't help but gently run the tip of his fingers on the edges of Greninja's injuries, feeling the moist skin covered in her thick, crimson blood. His Pokémon's reaction was instantaneous, she threw her arms and legs around him, wrapping him in a tight embrace as her breathing hitched inside of his mouth.

The more he traced his fingers around her would, the harder she would hug him back. It was surreal for the water type, it should hurt a lot, it did when she touched it, but with Ash, the way he would so carefully rub the tip of his fingers on the edge of her wound, the pain would step aside to instead give way to weird sensation of satisfaction. Greninja moaned in Ash's mouth while they continued to suck on each other lips passionately, his hand movements over her wound causing the female kiss him even deeper.

The trainer once again parted lips with Greninja, leaving her wanting more of his, before he traced kisses again, going all the way down to her chest, where he started licking it just like he had done her neck. The female grabbed Ash's head and held it down close to her chest while he continued to clean it of the delicious salty sweat.

Ash brought his hands up her chest, and gently squeezed it from the side, making her small breasts perk up against her skin. Without wasting any more time, the boy licked the female Pokémon's small breasts, his tongue danced around the mounds, and poked the very center of them. Greninja held his head even tighter against her chest, moaning deep, hot breaths onto his head. The Pokémon then hitched her breathing once Ash took one of her breasts into his mouth.

The young trainer held her breast within his lips, feeling the extremely soft mound in his mouth, suckling on it like an infant. He would feel her breast around, moving the soft lump on his mouth, giving it light bites on its base and tip. Greninja's grip on his head started to weaken as he continued to ravage her chest with his curious mouth, the end of her long tongue slipped out of her mouth and dangled while she moaned heavily.

He continued his way down until he hit her abdomen, and proceeded to give it the same treatment her chest and neck got. He used his tongue to explore the soft skin of her chest, feeling the small curves of her built abdomen under the skin. She was breathing so hard by now, that hot puffs of smoke were visible coming out of her lips, she would squirm every time her trainer's tongue would finish tracing the intersection of her abdominal muscles.

Her breathing hitched again when she felt his tongue licking the edges of her wound. Why was he doing this? It was so weird, and depraved... but it also felt so good. It was unbelievable how her master could turn her pain into pleasure like that. She squirmed and shivered under his touch, the result of Ash's passion filled attacks spreading huge waves of pleasure under her skin. She had to grit her teeth and force herself to stay focused, else she would melt into a drooling mess under his constant barrage.

Greninja felt herself nearing her limits. The water type didn't know how, nor what those limits were, but she could feel something was about to happen to her body if Ash continued.

Ash felt his partner's muscles tense under his touch, legs, arms, chest, abs, everywhere he felt, she was tensing up. Ash couldn't make why, but he knew instinctively that it was time to finish this. He moved himself up, over her chest and back to her neck and shoulders, and hovered his mouth close to her skin, breathing out hot air onto her skin, eliciting shivers all over her body, before closing in and with a light snap, sinking his canines into the skin of her neck.

Greninja's reaction was immediate. She yelped in surprise, before slowly closing her eyes and savoring this wonderful feeling, squirming in pleasure as she felt something sliding between her legs. Ash left her neck, licking the small trails of blood from her shoulders, and small lines of drool leaking from the corners of her mouth, before giving her a final quick, but deep kiss on her lips.

After seconds that felt like hours, Ash lets go of Greninja's lips breathlessly, a thin thread of saliva connecting the two soul mates together. As they stare into each other eyes lovingly, a blue light started to glow around the love struck duo, surrounding them like thin veil. The trainer raises his hand to her face and gently rubs her cheek, smiling when he felt her pushing herself onto his hand.

Soon, the glow shared by them was absorbed into Greninja's body, who started to transform right in front of Ash's eyes. But unlike the other times, there was no rush here, there was no sense of urgency, the water type took her time as she felt the energy Ash had shared course through her veins, and softly reshape her body.

At the end of the transformation, in Greninja's place was a slightly taller version of herself, sporting features in common with Ash's own, including the design of his clothes. But what stole the spotlight in the transformation was the shining, oversized Water Shuriken glued to her back. There was no typhoon around her this time, hiding her new form from the rest of the world, and that meant only one thing

They were in perfect harmony.

Ash smiled softly at the transformation, with no typhoon of water to obstruct his sight from her, for the first time he could see Greninja's new form in its full splendor. And she looked just as beautiful as she always had. It also looked like she was trying to dress up as him, which he found quite funny.

While he continued to smile, his eyelids were beginning to get heavy, and the fatigue finally took its toll on Ash. The trainer falls onto her chest, completely exhausted from day he had, cuddling against her now warm body. Greninja giggles lightly, snaking her arms around her beloved, pulling him closer to her, before closing her eyes and letting fatigue take her as well, basking on the warmth of their love.

* * *

 **And cut, this is where it ends.**

 **I hope you liked the story, at first I was thinking of writing smut, but I'm a strange person, I think that kissing, caressing and overall fluff is way, way more romantic than full blown fucking, and so I did that, I did my best to make it as best as I could, because it's my first time writing a make out session.**

 **And I think I did a good job.**

 **Anyway, now to the part that you guys who do follow my work are probably anticipating the most. I'm currently stuck with the rest of my fics, I'm slowly bulding them up, but I just hit a brick wall and no matter how many explosives I use to demolish it, it continues to stay up, preventing me from continuing with the story in a satisfactory manner.**

 **I can try to force myself to finish them, but if do that, I probably won't like what I'll come up with.**

 **I'm also writing another story that I'm heavily invested in, but I refuse to release it right now, because I'm dead set on finishing it and then start uploading each chapter once a week. At least I think I can finish this story, compared to the others, I have a bunch of ideas that I keep jolting down on a separate doc file, and it gives me a much easier time in writing down the next chapters.**

 **I'm already at the 10th chapter of this story, and I started if this year, a huge difference between Sonic Tamers, for an example, that has 10 chapters but is like, three years old.**

 **So yeah, uh… what I wanted to say is that they will take a shitload of time to complete, because I'm completely out of ideas in how to finish them.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this little One-Shot.**


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